Restaurants at Gunflint Lodge in Grand Marais, Minnesota

My husband and I spent our honeymoon among the evergreens and sparkling lakes of Minnesota at Gunflint Lodge, just north of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Enjoying the less than rustic cabin -- equipped with a two-sided electric fireplace and a whirlpool that overlooked the Canadian border -- was just the start of a luxurious week.

While planning our trip we talked about taking a cooler of goodies to put on the grill and easy dinners to make in the cabin's well appointed kitchen. After experiencing the two dining establishments at the lodge, we're glad we chose to forgo making our meals. Instead we ate every meal at the lodge's two restaurants: The Red Paddle Bistro and Justine's Fine Dining.

The Red Paddle Bistro
For a casual, bar and grill dining experience, choose the Red Paddle Bistro. Sandwiches, soups, salads, breakfast foods and burgers dominate the menu.

I enjoyed trying dishes that exemplified the local crops: wild rice, mushrooms and blueberries. At breakfast blueberries and wild rice are combined into a rich pancake batter to create a filling, hearty flapjack that makes you question even having lunch. I also enjoyed the wild blueberry salad topped with blue cheese, pecans and a maple vinaigrette.

Walleye chowder and fish sandwiches were recommended daily, since the ingredients were local and fresh.

My husband chose classic grill favorites including the "Hot Chick" sandwich drenched in buffalo wing sauce and the northwoods version of a french dip sandwich, complete with pepperjack cheese and crisp french fries.

Justine's Fine Dining
For a few of our evening meals, we chose to eat at Justine's Fine Dining. Although there is no dress code, this restaurant is more upscale than the bistro. White table cloths, sorbet between dinner courses and desserts worthy of a photo were the norm.

Since I am vegetarian (not vegan) I tried two pasta dishes. The first was a penne pasta with a fresh red sauce that tasted like it was picked from the garden just moments before being served. The second was a blue cheese style mac and cheese topped with walnuts. Both were served with a fresh salad and basket of various dinner rolls.

My husband tried two beef dishes, both savory until the last bite and cooked to his specifications.

We both have a sweet tooth, so during our week stay we tried nearly every dessert on the menu. Several of them we ordered multiple times, since all of our food was included in our honeymoon package. The two restaurants offered tiramisu, molten chocolate cake, Italian cream cake, various ice creams, New York cheesecake, chocolate bread pudding and carrot cake.

The two restaurants at Gunflint Lodge don't skimp on the food choices, serving sizes or quality.

Dinner and a View
The interior of the bistro and Justine's Fine Dining have a classic northwoods appeal. Natural wood walls in a honey-hue create a backdrop for black bear, moose and water fowl decorations.

While waiting for a carry out order at the bistro you can rest in front of the roaring fireplace, or sit at the bar and enjoy a local Minnesota brew fresh from the tap.

When we dined in the restaurants we always chose a window seat to overlook the docks on Gunflint Lake. The entire north wall of the restaurant is glass, allowing you to watch the sunrise at breakfast or the sunset over the lake in the evening. And when we felt like staying at the cabin, our meals were delivered to our front door. Now that's service!

Sources:
Personal Experience, October 2010.
Gunflint Lodge, "Dining at Gunflint", Gunflint Lodge